The Road to Redemption
by kefrank
Summary: Basically an alternative story to the original, except set in the 80's. Our four boys, what will they get up to on the road to redemption? my first fic


"What did you bring, Gordie?_" _Chrisasked me.

I emptied my bag on the side of the road. "Two bottles of water, four Twinkies and a bag of chips."

"That's all right, but it wont last for long. What have you got Teddy?"

Teddy scrambled around in his pockets and pulled out some change. "I've got four dollars and fifty-five cents."

"Well I've got five dollars." said Chris. "It should do, so that's nine dollars and fifty five cents." Chris opened my bag and threw the change in. "Vern?"

"I brought a box of firecrackers," said Vern.

"Firecrackers! What the hell do we need firecrackers for?" yelled Teddy. "I thought it would be fun. You know, lighting them."

'Hey, Teddy, cool it man. Just put them in." Chris said. Teddy zipped up the bag and we walked in silence.

It wasn't until ten miles down the road until we started talking again.

We came to a small town. There wasn't a blade of grass in sight; it was all sand as far as our eye could see. No one was in the streets and the summer sun was making our necks blister. We came to a small trashy gas station. But it wasn't trashy inside it was cool and the fan blew our hair. I found some bread and meat and a two-liter bottle of water. Teddy and Chris were in the corner reading a boudoir magazine. The man at the counter was in his late forties and hadn't had a shave in days. I got the change out of the backpack and displayed it on the counter. I looked at Vern. He was singing a song to himself what sounded like Pink Floyd.

"Hey, kid, what's ya name?" asked the man. I didn't answer him. I put the food on the counter.

"Can I get these?" I asked. He took the money and asked if I wanted a bag. I said no and we walked out.

"I gotta take a leak." Chris said, we all agreed. We looked around the back of the gas station, but we found something better than a place to piss.

"Holy shit, Jesus man, it's a 1976 Corvette!" Teddy said in amazement. He ran his hand over the smooth red paint job. "Aluminum wheels and its only done four thousand miles! Well it's gonna do a whole lot more." Now drool was sliding down his chin.

"What do you mean, Teddy?" Vern asked.

"I mean the keys are in the ignition and the tank is full, man!"

"How could anyone afford this car?" Chris said "Well guys, jump in."

"Are you kidding, Chris? Vern asked. "You're fourteen years old, you can't drive."

"Sure I can Vern. You just haven't seen me. Now get in and don't be a pussy."

I thought Vern was right, but I didn't want the guys to think I was pussy. I got in the back with Vern. Well at least Chris and Teddy were having a good time. "We better hurry before some one sees us." I said. And just then the man came out the front door of the gas station.

"Hey, hey you kids, what the hell do you think your doin'?"

"Chris, step on it" I yelled. The car stayed stationary. "Lets get out of here man!" Then the car jolted, and sped off like a bullet with the tiers screeching. We were just inches from the man, but the sand in his eyes stopped him. The last I saw of him, he was standing on the side of the road yelling at us. We were all in hysterics except for Vern, as we flew off down the road.

"That was great, man!" Teddy screeched. He was the only one who was still laughing. "Did you see his face?"

"Yeah it was an awesome moment." Chris agreed. This subject went on for over an hour then the subject changed to girls. Vern was the only one to notice the flashing blue and red lights not far behind us.

"Chris, you better pick up speed." said Vern.

"Why's that?" Chris asked.

"Cops are on our tail." I looked behind us and noticed it too. I started to laugh. It was part fear and part excitement.

"Oh shit man!" Chris said. He also had that smile of fear and excitement too. Teddy was almost hanging out of the back of the convertible.

The police car was not twenty feet from us. The sirens started but we didn't dare pull over.

"Do something," Chris shouted at Vern and me.

"Do what?" I asked.

"I don't know Gordie, distract him."

I searched in the backpack to find something to throw at it. "Vern, you might come in handy for at least once." I said in relief.

"You're not gonna throw me at that car, are ya, Gordie?"

"No you idiot, but that's a good idea!" I joked. I picked out the box of firecrackers. "Here help me throw these."

I took a big handful of crackers. I was shaking and I dropped some on the floor of the car. I threw what I had left, while Vern was tipping the whole box on the road. The cop car rolled over them, then a deafening pop blew up the tires, and the wheels shot sparks in very direction.

"See you in hell FAGOT!" Teddy yelled as the car slid off to the side of the road kicking up sand. The cop got out of his smoking car and stood at the side of the road yelling and swearing at us, just as the man from the gas station did, as we flew off down the road once more.

"Gordie man, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" said Chris.

"Yeah, did you see the sparks?" Teddy said.

"Where's Vern?" Teddy asked,  
"He's on the floor." I replied. "The cops are gone dude."  
He sat up in relief. "That was probably the second most scariest thing in my life."  
"What's your first, Vern?" said Chris.  
"I got my dick jammed in a sliding door." We all laughed so hard, I could hardly breath. I think Teddy stopped breathing for a short time.  
"Yeah, that would be the most scariest thing." I said.  
Teddy was looking in the glove compartment. "What's in there, Teddy?" Chris said with his eyes still on the road.  
"Ahh… a map and a cassette tape."

"Put the tape in, Teddy." said Chris. Teddy slid the tape in the player and pressed play.

"Led Zeppelin! This is a great band," said Teddy. "Do you like them Gordie?"

"Yeah."

We drove down the dark road and not long we pulled over and made camp. "Anyone got matches?" Chris asked. We all shook our heads. "That's just great." Chris sat down in the sand.

"Chris." said Teddy.

"What. What is it Teddy, are you hungry? Well why don't I walk five hundred miles back down the road and get you a sandwich with the lot!" Chris snapped at Teddy.

"Man, I was just gonna say we don't need matches. Just use the cigarette lighter in the car."

"Hey, smart thinking Teddy." I said. That was probably the single smartest thing I'd ever heard Teddy say without being sarcastic. We lit the fire while Chris sat and watched us. We cooked the meat over the fire and put it in the bread. It was nice and tender.

Vern walked over to the car. "Darn, were half full."

"What, the tank?" Chris asked

"Yeah, and we've only done two hundred miles." said Vern. Chris walked to Vern.

"Only!" Teddy rolled his eyes. He was sitting next to the fire. "Maybe there's fuel in the boot," said Teddy.

Chris tried to lift the boot door. "It's locked."

"Just unpick it," said Teddy. " My dad unpicked doors all the time when he was young"

"I don't know how. You do it Teddy," said Chris.

Teddy spent half an hour on it and we thought he was lying that he knew how to unpick a lock.

"Teddy, just give up, you're never gonna

do it." Vern said.

"Yeah, there's probably nothing in the boot anyway." I said.

"Just give me a minute," said Teddy. Then Teddy's eager eyes opened wide. "Told ya, Verno." We dusted the sand off us and walked to the boot. Chris lifted up the boot.

"Yeah! Too cool." Chris said. We all leaned in, and there, just as Teddy predicted was a full drum of petrol. "OK Teddy, fill it up, man." Chris said. Teddy unscrewed the lid and slowly filled up the tank.

The fire lit up our faces and the crackle of it made me dreary. "Do you think the police will catch up again, Chris?" I asked.

Chris was quiet for a moment then he sighed. "Nah, he probably thinks we're miles away now." I nodded agreeably.

In the morning we set off up the road. It was quiet for a couple of hours. We hadn't seen a car drive along this straight road in the whole of our journey.

"Hey, Gordie, do we have anything to eat?" Chris asked.

I checked in the bag and found the Twinkies I packed the day before. I gave them out, one a piece. We ate them in two bites.

"I think this was such a good idea to go down the road. Get away from the world." said Teddy.

"I don't. I miss my mom," said Vern.

"Well that's why we left, to get away from everything. And were not going back. Right guys?" said Chris.

"Yeah, I'm never going back!" shouted Teddy.

"Yeah!" Vern and I shouted.

We all couldn't stop thinking what was going to come up the road. But that's all part of the adventure, not knowing what's going to happen next.

Soon we pulled over for Vern. He went behind some bushes to squat. And in about ten seconds he came running out and screaming with his pants still around his ankles.

"S…snake. It, it slithered through my legs!" He yelled. He came running back to the car. His face was white and he was shaking.

"It must have been a small snake." Teddy screeched. Chris and I cracked up laughing. "Only two inches, hey Vern."

Vern pulled up his pants. "It's not funny you dick! I could have got bitten and died."

"Bitten by your own dick!" Teddy laughed. Vern got in and slammed the door. He grabbed a chunk of Teddy's hair and started to pull it. Chris broke it up.

"Vern. Teddy's sorry" Chris said to Vern. Then he looked at Teddy. Teddy didn't say anything. Chris grabbed a chunk of Teddy's hair and started to pull. "Aren't you, Teddy!" "Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry Vern." Teddy said trying to pull away from Chris. Then Chris let go.

"Teddy. Why don't you have a drive?" said Chris.

"OK!" Teddy said, now extremely happy. They swapped places. Teddy stared at the wheel then at the keys like they were a massive diamond. He turned the keys and pushed the hand break. His foot hit the floor and we almost flew out the back. It felt like we were in a rocket. Vern was next to me screaming like a girl. I punched him twice and he shut up. The wind was blowing so hard in my face I could hardly breathe.

Teddy drove all that day 'til 10pm.we didn't pull over to camp that night. Chris drove until 4 in the morning. Then woke me up. It was still dark out and foggy too. I once drove on my grandpa's farm and I almost ran over his dog.

Through the mist I saw something standing in the middle of the road. I stopped and checked if the others were asleep. They all were. I got out and approached the object. It came clearer and I stopped. It was a deer, a deer in the middle of the road, in the middle of the desert. It put its head up and stared at me for a short time then dashed off into the mist. That short time felt like forever, and I wished it had lasted forever.

Later that day when the sun was up we ate some chips and Vern drove. He had never driven before and he kept flooding the engine and stalling it. Chris sat in the front with Vern, just in case the car went out of control or something. Teddy and I were in the back playing howdy doody.

"Where are we, Chris?" I asked.

Chris pulled out the map from the glove compartment and unfolded it. "We're five thousand miles from home. Pull over Vern. I've gotta see were we are."

We got out. My legs were stiff. "We all looked down the road. The sun was orange, and the evening light made us squint. Vern leaned on the car.

"Vern get off it, you'll scratch It." said Teddy.

"I think it's scratched enough, Teddy, only cause you've driven it." Vern slid off the car. Chris shaded his face with the map, as our eyes were set on the road ahead of us.

"What's that sound?" I said. We turned and just before us the Corvette was halfway off the cliff. Teddy ran after it to stop it.

Chris held him back. "Let it go Teddy." he said. We neared the edge of the cliff. The car hit the rocks, then a huge explosion sounded, and the car blew up in flames.

We all stood silent for one minute. Teddy, Vern and I started up along the road, but Chris stayed still. He had a distant look in his eye. I still, to this day, wonder what he was thinking.

"Chris" I called to him.

He looked at me, and then back at the flames. He let go of the map and it blew away. Chris ran to catch up to us, and we walked up the road into the sunset.

_Hope can take you miles._


End file.
